Lead, mercury and cadmium in umbilical cord blood and its association with parental epidemiological variables and birth factors

Autor: José Miguel García-Sagredo, Jenaro Astray, Elisa Gil, Concha de Paz, Jesús Vioque, Andrés Iriso, María José González, José Frutos García, Mario Antonio Fernández, Margot Cisneros, Marina Pollán, Beatriz Pérez-Gómez, Mercedes Martínez, Ana María Pérez-Meixeira, Ángel Asensio, Pablo Fernández-Navarro, Amparo de Santos, Gonzalo López-Abente, Esther García-Esquinas, J. Sanz, Nuria Aragonés
Přispěvatelé: Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Comunidad de Madrid (España)
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2013
Předmět:
Zdroj: BMC Public Health
Digital.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
instname
Repisalud
Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII)
ISSN: 1471-2458
Popis: Background In Spain, few studies have evaluated prenatal exposure to heavy metals. The objective of this study was to describe lead, mercury and cadmium concentrations in blood from a sample of newborn–mother-father trios, as well as to investigate the association between metals in cord blood and parental variables. We also explored the relationship between cord blood metal concentrations and child characteristics at birth. Methods Metal correlations among family members were assessed using Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficient. Linear regression was used to explore the association between parental variables and log-transformed cord blood lead and cord blood mercury concentrations. In the case of cadmium, tobit regression was used due to the existence of samples below the detection limit. The association between cord blood metal concentrations and child characteristics at birth was evaluated using linear regression. Results Geometric means for lead, mercury and cadmium were 14.09 μg/L, 6.72 μg/L and 0.27 μg/L in newborns; 19.80 μg/L, 3.90 μg/L and 0.53 μg/L in pregnant women; and 33.00 μg/L, 5.38 μg/L and 0.49 μg/L in men. Positive correlations were found between metal concentrations among members of the trio. Lead and cadmium concentrations were 15% and 22% higher in newborns from mothers who smoked during pregnancy, while mercury concentrations were 25% higher in newborns from mothers with greater fish intake. Cord-blood lead levels showed seasonal periodicity, with lower concentrations observed in winter. Cord blood cadmium concentrations over 0.29 μg/L were associated with lower 1-minute and 5-minute Apgar scores. Conclusions These results reinforce the need to establish biomonitoring programs in Spain, and provide support for tobacco smoke and fish consumption as important preventable sources of heavy metal exposure in newborns. Additionally, our findings support the hypothesis that cadmium exposure might be deleterious to fetal development.
Financial support was obtained from the Madrid Regional Health & Consumer Affairs Authority and the Spanish Health Research Fund (Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria [FIS] grant PI040777). Dr. Esther Garcia-Esquinas was supported by a Río Hortega (CM10/00332) research training grant from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Carlos III Institute of Health). The authors are deeply indebted to the primary-care midwives and health staff of the Gregorio Marañón and Getafe Hospital maternity wards and laboratories, and in particular to the study participants themselves
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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